Transport Scotland has released video footage showing the development of the first major structure for the £500 million M8/M73/M74 Improvements Project.

The time lapse footage reveals the new rail bridge, weighing in excess of 2,000 tonnes, sliding into its final position over what will become the new M8 motorway, joining the existing Cutty Sark rail bridge at Bargeddie, Glasgow.

The completion of the bridge slide marks a significant milestone in the progress of the project.

It has been the culmination of months of meticulous planning and preparation between contractor Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP) and its construction joint venture (JV) Ferrovial Lagan.

Graeme Reid, Project Sponsor for Transport Scotland, said: "The success of the bridge slide marks a significant milestone as part of the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project and is the first tangible improvement to the transport infrastructure.

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"The time lapse gives a real sense of the challenges involved in delivering a project of this scale and encourages a greater understanding of civil engineering schemes and the benefits they can bring."

The first phase of works involved the closure of the railway line over four weekends in April 2015.

This allowed the construction team to lay the foundations by installing eight piles (each two metres in diameter) and reinforce the ground on either side of the bridge.

The three-span steel bridge was then built adjacent to the existing railway prior to the slide.

Dario Saavedra, construction manager for Ferrovial Lagan JV, said: "The installation was complex due the strict limit on time as a result of the railway closure.

"The operation included the removal of the existing railway infrastructure including overhead lines, rail tracks and the embankment, before the steel and concrete bridge could be pushed into its final position over the pre-cast piers to carry the weight of the structure."

The development team used a Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT) system to slide the 2,000 tonne structure into place.

Six SPMT platform vehicles, fitted with a row of rubber wheels, were moved into position under the structure to carry the weight of the bridge to the ground.

A computer controller was used to simultaneously drive the six SPMT platforms carrying the bridge structure 50 metres north, in an operation that lasted approximately four hours.

The M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project is upgrading the core of Scotland's motorway network, boosting the countries economy by improving connections between the commercial centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh and beyond.

(LM)